Recreational fishing participation trends in Upper Great Lakes States: an age-period-cohort analysis

This findings abstract summarizes the results of a demographic study of recreational anglers in five Great Lakes states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). Using annual fishing license sales data (2000-2016), we employed an age-period-cohort regression model to estimate the independent effects of age, time period, and birth year on likelihood to fish for males and females in each state. Generations of men born prior to 1970 were more likely to fish than more recent generations. For women, more recent generations (born since 1980) were more likely to fish than their mothers or grandmothers. Projections suggest that the future number of male anglers will continue to decline, while the number of women will grow. Females should be expected to make up an increasing share of anglers. Accordingly, fisheries managers and policy makers should engage women as active stakeholders in decision-making. Analytical reports, maps, and data are available at https://www.mtu.edu/greatlakes/fishery.